Happy Labor Day!

I just love holidays!! Any reason to eat yummy food, enjoy spending time with friends and family, and not have to run kids to and from school I’m very happy to celebrate! Although you’d think being sandwiched in between the kids’ birthdays, that I’d be partied out. LOL Not me!!

I’ll admit, I still have a few snowballs and princess balloons hanging up around the house from my daughter’s party last week. I’ve got Spider-Man decorations on deck for tomorrow’s birthday for my son. So, we celebrated Labor Day at a hotel where there was no decorating, no cooking and no cleaning required. 🙂 Oh yes, I’m a happy girl!

I’ll have to admit I couldn’t remember how Labor Day started or what the history was behind it. Thank goodness for Wikipedia! In case there is anybody else that thought it was just about celebrating the end of summer, it’s not, It really is or was in celebration of all the people that work hard everyday. It was started by a machinist in a union, with the intent of increasing gratitude and awareness of all the blue collar workers that keep our country running. Most definitely, people worth recognition and celebration!!

The sad part is that it wasn’t signed as a National holiday until parts of our government participated in the manslaughter of union workers that were on strike. It was used, as it would seem, as an apology and also intended to boost moral in the union workers. It worked!

There’s a lot to be said about the powers of positive reinforcement and special recognition. Who doesn’t like to hear that they are special, right? Who doesn’t appreciate a pat on the back or compliment? Words as simple as, “thank you”, “great job”, “that was wonderful”, or “your are amazing” can truly move mountains!

I just recently viewed a video clip that was posted on Facebook. It was a clip of a teacher speaking at a conference for teachers. It was quite possibly the most refreshing and encouraging view on teaching that I’ve seen. She spoke of her use of positive encouragement and the effect it had on her students. Check it out :http://www.upworthy.com/a-teacher-gave-a-student-an-f-and-a-smiley-face-but-she-wasnt-making-fun-of-him?c=ufb1 If you think about it, the greatest success stories you’ve ever heard were seeded by a positive influence. A comment, a compliment, some encouragement….

How great and rewarding would it feel to know that you were the one that planted that seed?! Can you just imagine hearing a statement years from now from richest woman in the world, or a future president explaining to the world that what ignited their success was the kindness and a few encouraging words from you? Ok, even if it wasn’t someone as successful as the richest person in the world, wouldn’t it still be pretty cool to know that you made a difference in somebody’s life. That somebody succeeded because of a little positive encouragement….

How awesome would it be if we all worked to build others up? Rather than criticize, critique, put-down, or slam people; if we all planted seeds of encouragement? Could we start a movement? Could we move mountains? Hmmmmmmmm? What would it hurt to try? Wouldn’t cost anything. Wouldn’t hurt anybody. Wouldn’t take much work. What if you started with yourself?

What if you started using your inner voice to say encouraging words? What if instead of criticizing yourself or putting yourself down, you praised yourself, or used mantras of encouraging words? What kind of mountains could you move? What sorts of successes would you have? We are our biggest critics and the creators of our own limitations.

Stop the negative language! Toward yourself and others.

WOD: I played in the pool with the kids all day. Go out and play. There is reward beyond the calorie burning!

Recipe of the day:

Lime Marinaded Chicken

Juice of 4 limes

2 Tbsp of Avocado oil, coconut oil or olive oil

2 Tbsp of chili powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

optional dash or cayenne pepper

Place chicken in shallow dish and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 2+ hours. Grill chicken, basting with the marinade for best results. I served with mango slices, veggie sticks and fresh made guacamole. It was awesome!!!